Just from the line-up, you knew that
this was going to be one great evening of rock'n'roll. And, by the time the last
note died in your ears (which was about three days later), you realized you were
right. Four bands, four great sets, and $6.50 beers. (Okay, the $6.50 beers part
sucked, but the rest was awesome).

Surf The Black was up first and the
band proved once again that they're as hot as hell. The band played songs from
their self-titled CD (click here to
see our review) and were energetic, tight and quickly captured the
early-in-the-evening small crowd. What's interesting about Surf The Black is
that they sound so different live than they do on their CD. The CD is almost
pure punk - it's fast and hard but it's not really heavy. The live
performance, however, is much heavier and the band's music takes on an entirely
new dimension. As Snidermann says in his review of the CD, Surf the Black's
sound is a little Motorhead-like, heavy but with punk influences. Live, they
lean more toward Motorhead and their performance got the audience's blood
pumping. See www.surftheblack.com
for more information.

Meldrum was the next band up and,
when the three women who make up 3/4 of this band took the stage, one couldn't
help but wonder how heavy they would be. That was soon proven quite clearly when
the band ripped into power riffs that shook the Ventura Theater's very
foundations. Meldrum, from Sweden, are reminiscent of Doro but with a little
more kick. Having no knowledge of the band's music, I was impressed at how much
I enjoyed the live show and, at intermission, I purchased their CD, "Loaded
Mental Cannon." Meldrum's set rocked throughout and their CD is great, too.
Another band to watch for more of in the future. For more information, check out
www.meldrum.com.

The infamous Nashville Pussy took the
stage next and, despite the rave review that Snidermann gave a few months ago, I
have to admit I was stunned. First, within a few minutes of taking the stage,
the band played my favorite NP song, "Hitchhike Down to Cincinnati and Kick
the Shit Outta Your Drunk Daddy." But they didn't stop there. They played
lots of stuff from their new CD, including the great crowd pleaser "Keep on
Fuckin'," the anthem-like "You Give Drugs a Bad Name" (with a
great intro from frontman Blaine Cartwright) and an AC/DC cover.

In addition to the band's onstage
antics (including a lengthy strip-tease by guitarist Ruyter Suys) the
musicianship was stunningly good. Suys is like Angus Young with cleavage - her
guitar seems to be part of her when she wails those blistering solos, blasts
those chunky chords and struts across the stage like Chuck Berry possessed.
Cartwright is a terrific frontman, connecting well with the audience and
delivering the rough edge necessary to belt out the band's songs. Jeremy Thompson
on drums and KatieLynn Campbell on bass are essential as well, rounding out the
band's sound.

Nashville Pussy are incredible live,
both for their performance and their onstage persona. Don't miss them if they
come your way. For more information, check out http://www.nashvillepussy.com.

Finally, Zakk Wylde and Black Label
Society took the stage and - if you didn't recognize his furred face or
signature model guitar - you could still tell it was Zakk up there because the
volume got turned up about seven notches. From that point on, BLS's explosive
sound rattled the walls of the Ventura Theater as Zakk and company raged through
tunes from BLS's CDs. The entire band was incredible but Zakk goes beyond that,
playing his guitar in ways that almost seemed supernatural. The show only slowed
down once when Zakk pulled out an acoustic guitar and performed a song from (I'm
guessing here) "Book of Shadows."

One of the evening's highlights came
when Zakk announced, "This is for the old man" and ripped into the
opening notes of "War Pigs." Much of the crowd rushed the stage at
this point (at least, those who weren't already in the pit) and sang along with
Zakk as he put his touch on the old Black Sabbath standard. It was a great
moment.

Black Label Society's new album,
"The Blessed Hellride," is due in stores on April 22nd, and -
especially after this show - we can't wait. The BLS street team handed out
two-song samplers for the CD at the end of the evening and the songs thereon -
"Stoned & Drunk" and "The Blessed Hellride" - bode well
for things to come. For more information on Black Label Society, check out www.blacklabelsociety.net.

When it all was over, the Rough Edge
staff on hand all agreed it had been a great night. We'd go see any of these
bands again, anytime.